I find I spend no time updating this Blog. So sad that it never took off for me. I tried for awhile but then Instagram took all my attention. It was quick and easy. But every once and awhile I feel the need to blog. I am going to try and put down my work on my current Small Bowtie quilt.

I am using Animal Quackers Jelly Roll from Maywood Studios. I picked it up at a wonderful LQS in my area called Second Chance Fabrics (www.secondchancefabrics.com) ​

Ok let’s start out with a little background. I am a Capricorn and year of the Tiger. So that puts me in a very unique place. I don’t like change and dig my claws in when faced with it. It took me forever to start an Etsy store. Which I ran ok and then gave up on the venture when all my work was being favorited but I saw no sales, except for fabric. Then I finally decided to start a blog, but I have read that blogs are dead. So I decided to try Instagram.

It seems promising so far. I can see work from Japan that inspires me. I can showcase my work and I might actually go somewhere. Of course I am backwords so it might just be the moment. And then I’ll be on to the next old veture.

By the way I tryed Instagram back when it first released but didn’t take a lot of pictures back then. I am not all that into social media. I guess that’s the introvert in me.

Let me start out by saying this isn’t the Best template for my needs. What I can gleam from the internet is that this template was created before pre-cuts where invented. And so this template takes to much calculation and thought. So the easy button was broken.

I had to figure out how to cut it from 5″ squares. You were supposed to cut the inner circle from strips and the Outer piece from a square in the size chosen. What, what, what? I wanted to use scraps. I should have called it a day right there and then.

But after some trial and ERROR. I thought I figured it out. I used a 5″ square. I first cut the inner, then I cut the remainder square to a 4″. Easy right? Well it seemed like ai hade it down until I sewed the pieced together and ended up being short by about a 1/8″.

I squared the up and thought I was good to go but in the end my lines were off.

I did get to try a pattern I have wanted to try for a while. And as a side note, I was reading a blog post the other day and her Drunkard’s Path was off just as much as mine. And she pinned and everything.

Now the big plus was the pattern layouts inside. They were worth the entire purchase…

If you are like me you shop everywhere. My local thrift/secondhand shops can be a great resource for fabric. I never know what I’ll find. Sometimes it is next to nothing and other times it’s like winning the lottery. Today was a lottery day. At the first store I found a piece of Thirties repo fabric for $.95. That in my book is an automatic win. But ad to that 2yds of double wide quilt back for $2.95 and a nice Xmas fabric for $.95. Win win win.

Of couse as a compulsive shopaholic I can’t just call it a day and move on. I have to drive to my other favorite thrift store. And there they have a truckload.

On my first pass I found a western, southwest, African, 2 Northwoods (one by Debbie Mumm, 2 keepsakes. But of course it was my lucky day because I wondered the store and on my second pass a girl was stocking more fabric. And I got (grabbed greedily) 2 yd of a Cat in the hat fabric from Springs Creative. Up to this point I never knew the had that license at one time let alone printed fabric. WIN WIN WIN.

I had also acquired some remnants from my local Joanns and to auctions from Ebay had arrived. One being a Skull Print from Alexander Henry I have been looking for and a pattern/template from Marti Michell. I will post later on the template and if it works well for Drunkard’s path. Anyone have any ideas on how I should use these fabrics?

I have a wonderful friend who gave me a tin with aBoba Fett shirt, Force Unleashed Hoodie, Darth Vader Bowtie and a Wookie reusable bag. All I could ever want for my Birthday/Xmas. So how do you reward such a generous spirit. Well by making her a Lap Quilt. I pulled out all my Force Unleashed fabrics and am in the planning stages. I’ll keep you all updated on my progress.

Well my new shipment of Kimono Bolts just arrived from Japan. I just love them.

I think this is a woven rayon, I won’t know unless I do a burn test. It was the most expensive but I really liked the modern pattern so I splurged.

Dragon flies in Chirimon crepe, who could resist? Chirimen crepe fabric is one of Japanese traditional fabric for making Kimono. The fabric has its unique features, it drapes beautifully and hardly creases.

This woven with resist pattern has a few moth holes, but I’m a scrap quilter so I can always cut around. It was a steal even with the holes.

And last but not least another Yukata bolt to add to the others. I needed more Indigo on white, really I did.

Japan has such a beautiful fabric tradition and it is an honor to aquire some of it. Now what to make?